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BALIVADHAM KOODIYATTAM – ABHISHEKANATAKAM (BY BHASA) FIRST ANKAM
It was Paimkulam Ramachakyar (1904-1980) who first rechoreographed Balivadham and restructred the 5 to 6 hours of performnce of Koodiyattam (traditionally staged on the 5th and final day) into 2 to 3 hours. Ammannor further went on and choreographed and performed the death scene of Bali in such way that it depicted all the different sorts of breath during death, taking almost an hour for this climax using the techniques of ‘swara vayu’ that he had mastered from Kodungalloor Kunjunny Thampuran. Especially from the West, some theatre critics extolled this part with their own interpretations about the minute details of the last breaths. But in Kerala several connoisseurs approved the choreography of this scene by late Paimkulam that takes only a few minutes and compulsorily followed at the Kerala Kalamandalam. In fact the controversy on the modesty of elaborate death moments on Koodiyattam stage still continues in Kerala. Ammannoor minced his words to such opinions.